Chapter 18: Trivial Skills

"Brother! Spare me, please!" Trembling in fear, Cui Youliang collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Please spare me this time, brother. I won't dare to come again..."

"Let go of me this once, brother. I won't ask for the Bai family's debt anymore... Please, just let me go..."

Mentioning the debt, Ye Feng curiously asked, "How much does your Cui family owe here?"

"Not... not much..."

"Just a few billion... We don't want it anymore... We really don't want it..."

At this moment, Cui Youliang dared not mention the debt again, realizing that preserving his life was crucial.

"A few billion, huh..." Ye Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, let your Cui family bring another ten billion to redeem you!"

"Make a call and bring more people!"

"Remember, this time, bring the money too!"

As Cui Youliang mechanically made a call to ask for help from his family, Ye Feng sat back down, emanating a dominant aura in the darkness.

"You..."

Looking at Ye Feng, Bai Weiwu had a thousand words in her heart but didn't know how to express them. However, she was certain of one thing: this time, her brother truly brought them a reliable ally, someone who could help them rise again.

Finally, a glimmer of hope emerged in Bai Weiwu's eyes, dispelling years of resentment, grievance, and pain.

...

Meanwhile, at the Cui residence, an elderly man with white hair was sipping tea and reading the newspaper. Suddenly, he received a call from his youngest son, his expression gradually darkening.

This elderly man was none other than Cui Youliang's father, Cui Lishang, the current head of the Cui family.

Upon hearing that his youngest son had been kidnapped, Cui Lishang couldn't help but feel anxious and angry. As a coal businessman, he also had hundreds of henchmen at his disposal, ready to act at any moment.

For decades, the Cui family had been the ones orchestrating kidnappings, but this was the first time they had been targeted. And to dare kidnap his own son? Those kidnappers must be tired of living!

"What's the other party's background?" Cui Lishang inquired, walking to his desk and picking up the landline phone to call for assistance.

"It's the Bai family!" Cui Youliang replied truthfully.

"The Bai family?" Cui Lishang couldn't immediately recall which prominent figure in Yanjing had the surname Bai.

"It's Bai Shouqi's people!" Cui Youliang said fearfully. "This person claims to be the Bai family's backer. I brought over two hundred men, and all of them fell into his hands."

"Dad, when you bring people over this time, don't forget to bring the expensive hired help we've employed. His... his skills are truly terrifying!"

White-haired tycoon!?

Cui Lishang trembled slightly upon hearing this. When he heard that over two hundred men had failed, he slowly put down the phone.

The three hundred henchmen they kept had lost two-thirds of their numbers in an instant, and there was no need to summon the remaining hundred.

"I understand."

Cui Lishang ended the call with his son and quickly dialed another person's number.

"Master Yu! My family is in big trouble! Come quickly!"

After about half an hour, Cui Lishang and Master Yu finally arrived at the Yunshang Manor.

"Dad!"

Seeing his father's arrival, Cui Youliang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, he was worried that his father wouldn't be willing to spend another ten billion and would abandon his son.

Cui Lishang glanced at the scene and saw that the over hundred henchmen of the Cui family were standing or lying down like lost souls, lacking any fighting spirit. He couldn't help but be both surprised and angry.

Fortunately, his son was unharmed, which was a blessing in misfortune.

"Master Yu! You're here too!"

Seeing Master Yu following his father, Cui Youliang finally felt relieved, knowing that he could rely on Master Yu's skills. After all, he had witnessed the abilities of a true practitioner.

Master Yu's prowess was something to behold; he was truly a master of his craft.

"This boy Ye, even if he can take on a hundred opponents, what then? Does he think he can contend with a true practitioner who can control mystical arts?"

"This time, you're finished!"

With a glance at the two men, Ye Feng finally locked eyes with Master Yu.

"That should be the Cui family's hired help. Be careful," Bai Weiwu whispered softly.

A "hired help" referred to an extraordinary individual hired by prominent families as an esteemed guest. When the family faced difficult problems, these individuals would lend their assistance.

In ancient times, there was Meng Changjun, who had over a thousand guests at his mansion, including unsavory characters, to be used as needed.

Today, in Yanjing, the major aristocratic families also commonly employed "hired help." When it came to family disputes and interests, they would secretly make arrangements and engage in covert battles.

It could be said that the "hired help" within the families had become an invisible symbol of strength.

Ye Feng could immediately see that this man was also a practitioner, just like himself. This was evident because Ye Feng's master was a peak expert in overcoming the tribulation. After failing the tribulation and losing his mind, he had indiscriminately killed innocents and had his cultivation abolished, being confined in Zero Prison.

As Ye Feng stared at Master Yu, Master Yu was also sizing up Ye Feng.

With Master Yu's level of cultivation, he couldn't detect even the slightest fluctuation of true energy within Ye Feng's body.

The only two possibilities were: either Ye Feng had no true energy at all and was just an ordinary warrior, or Ye Feng's cultivation level surpassed his own, which was why he couldn't discern anything.

Master Yu, considering Ye Feng's age of around twenty, naturally believed it was the former.

The other party was just an ordinary person who was good at fighting.

With this judgment in mind, Master Yu relaxed completely.

"With your skill at contending against a hundred opponents, you're quite impressive!" Master Yu stepped forward with a smile. "I wonder who your master is?"

At the mention of his master, Ye Feng smiled. "I have many masters. Which one would you like to know about?"

Hearing this, Master Yu was puzzled. "How could you have so many masters?"

"Over a hundred!"

"Uh..." Master Yu laughed again, thinking Ye Feng was just being disruptive. Who could have so many masters? Wasn't that chaotic?

He probably couldn't name any of his masters, so he refused to reveal them.

"So be it!" Master Yu continued. "Seeing as you're quite skilled, why don't we turn our swords into plowshares?"

"As long as you kneel down, apologize to the Cui family, and agree to work for them in the future, I can spare you this time."

In Master Yu's view, as a

true practitioner of mystical arts, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary warriors. If he really made a move, the other party would either die or be severely injured.

If the other party was sensible, they should kneel down and beg for mercy now.

Cui Lishang, seeing Master Yu trying to recruit him, still harbored some anger, but considering the other party's considerable skill, he could give him some leeway.

"No way!" Cui Youliang took on a defiant stance. "We can't let him off so easily! Wasn't he very arrogant and capable just now?"

"If he kneels down and begs for mercy, he should at least kowtow a hundred times before we consider letting him go!"

Upon hearing this, Master Yu chuckled, "Kid, did you hear that? Young Master Cui said if you kowtow a hundred times, he'll let you go! Why don't you hurry up and do it?"

Master Yu also wanted to use this method to crush the other party's arrogance.

As long as the other party kneeled once, he could forever be beneath their feet!

"So much nonsense!" Ye Feng responded coldly. "What makes you think you can negotiate with me?"

"Have you brought the money you were supposed to bring?"

"One less word, and none of you will leave alive!"

What!?

With these words, the atmosphere at the scene once again became tense.

"This brat still dares to be stubborn!" Cui Youliang said angrily. "Master Yu, take action and teach him a lesson!"

"Alright, let's do it!"

Master Yu nodded, his expression sinister. "Kid, I gave you a chance to live, but you missed it!"

"So be it! Since you're seeking death on your own, today I'll let you witness my ability!"

As he spoke, Master Yu raised his hand.

A wooden sword strapped to his back suddenly unsheathed, hovering in the air like an arrow pulled taut on a bowstring.

"Sword control!?"

Seeing Master Yu's sword control technique once again, Cui Youliang exclaimed in excitement. "Quick, chop off that kid's head!"

And Bai Weiwu, witnessing a wooden sword flying into the air out of nowhere, couldn't help but be stunned.

"Could it be… he's the legendary practitioner?"

Bai Weiwu remembered that when her brother was starting his business, there were similar extraordinary individuals who wanted to join them. Unfortunately, at that time, her brother was only interested in money and didn't believe in such mystical things.

Now, witnessing the Cui family's hired help display such incredible power, Bai Weiwu couldn't help but feel regret.

If they had hired some extraordinary individuals like this earlier, would their outcome have been better?

But it was too late for regrets now!

After Master Yu summoned the flying sword, he didn't immediately attack, seemingly wanting to enjoy the look of shock and fear on the opponent's face.

Unfortunately, Ye Feng remained calm, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"Frightened silly, huh?" Master Yu sneered coldly. "The sword is out of its sheath, and it's too late for regrets now!"

"Today, I'll use you as a test for my sword!"

"Go!"

With a loud shout, Master Yu's flying sword shot out like a meteor, tearing through the night sky.

"Be careful!" Bai Weiwu screamed in fear, warning Ye Feng.

"Don't panic! Just a trick!"

As he spoke, Ye Feng took a step forward, surrounded by golden light, illuminating the dim living room.